Boba Fett: Edge of Deceit
by NS7
Summary: Boba fett and a treasure hunter go after a disease spreading knife and must contend with Arden Lyn and the Survivor, as well as creatures as the Lord of Lords continues his plans... Third in series. Guest starring Lara Croft.


Author's note. You know how it goes.  
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  
  
Star Wars  
  
Boba Fett: Episode III  
  
Edge of Deceit  
  
Now equipped with youthful vigor, Boba Fett harbors a vendetta against the mysterious Lord of Lords and his grunt, Luam H'trad.  
  
This hidden tyrant is a dangerous enemy, as Fett will soon discover, and will threaten the galaxy with a dark doom.  
  
Intelligence reports from the New Republic indicate that the villain is after the mysterious weapon called the Dagger of Sween and have contacted Boba Fett to help retrieve this weapon first, but Boba Fett will face serious opposition.  
The Slave IV flew at sublight speeds with a familiar heading. The Slave IV was identical to his beloved Slave I, which was damaged beyond repair years before. "Neelah", as he still called her in his memories, had this ship built as a favor.  
  
"So, what of the Lord?" Fett asked his none-present guest.  
  
On the Slave IV's holo-comlink, Chief of State Leia Organa-Solo sighed.  
  
"All we know right now is that he's after the Dagger of Sween. Why and what for, we can merely speculate." She answered.  
  
Boba Fett was not lost on the irony of this situation. Twenty years ago, Fett had seen her in his rear camera sensors as she shot a laser at his ship as he flew away.  
  
He looked directly at Organa-Solo, something he did only for employers he respected. That was a very short list.  
  
"Anything else will be discussed only in person. Will you be at the coordinates?" she asked. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.  
  
"And the reward?" he asked.  
  
Leia paused. "230,000 credits, plus expenses and a bonus for a small stipulation to be discussed."  
  
"I'll be there." He said and deactivated his holo-comlink.  
A cloaked figure walked into a room. The only light came from small candles. The room was made of brown stone and was empty, save for a throne- like chair and a computer console in a corner.  
  
The figure walked to the console and pressed a few buttons, and a voice came out of the speaker.  
  
"Yes, my master?" it asked.  
  
The Lord of Lords took a breath and two tusks emerged from a hood. "The Dagger of Sween. Have you sent our operatives to retrieve it?" he asked.  
  
"Arden Lyn and the Survivor are both on their way." The voice of Luam H'trad said.  
  
"The Survivor. I've heard of him. He's that snowtrooper who was left on Hoth after the battle. He was stranded there for how many years?" the Lord of Lords asked.  
  
"Six, my master. He was picked up by a transport that received his distress signal. He left the Imperial cause and became a mercenary."  
  
"Yes, that's right." the Lord of Lords said. "Excellent, Luam H'trad. Things are going very well indeed. With their help, you will be able to complete your mission. Go, now." he ordered, then he deactivated the link.  
  
The broad figure walked to his throne and sat down. A moment later, he began to laugh.  
The Slave IV docked on the west landing pad to the familiar complex.  
  
Boba Fett had been here before. He sighed and walked down the access ramp. Out of all places for this meeting, it had to be here, on Genosis.  
  
A teal 3PO unit waited for him at the entrance to the complex.  
  
"Welcome, master Fett. I am E-3PO, human-cyborg relations." the droid started, but stopped when the bounty hunter walked past him.  
  
"How rude." it said.  
  
"I know of this place. Keep up if you wish, but I will not slow." Fett said over his shoulder.  
  
He strode directly into the conference room. A guard reflexively raised a blaster, but lowered it.  
  
There was a woman sitting in a reclining commander's chair across a table. She was absolutely beautiful. She had a tight green shirt on that had metal clasps for, what Fett guessed, armor.  
  
She had brown pants that stopped at her thighs and she wore shinning, silver shin guards with knee plates. Her hair was long and brown, matching her eyes, and she had full, red lips.  
  
She was definitely attractive, even by his standards. Boba Fett had seen a lot of women, but this one had to be one of the most beautiful. He corrected himself. He could find women attractive, but he would not act on it.  
  
The woman's eyes shifter, and she looked Fett up and down.  
  
"Hmm," she thought aloud. "They said they'd hire a bounty hunter for protection, but they didn't say it would be someone so. famous." She commented. Her voice was quiet and sultry, and it had a distinct animal purr to it.  
  
Boba Fett was unaffected by the flirting.  
  
Organa-Solo entered with a full entourage of guards who promptly marched around the room and stood in various locations.  
  
"Greetings, Fett," she said. She looked at the woman and nodded once. "Groph."  
  
Fett realized who this girl was. She was Lar-rah Groph, a treasure hunter. She had crash landed on Dagobah, and developed a sense of adventure there after she left the other survivors. The others eventually turned to cannibalism, and Fett himself had had a run-in with them. Groph was taken off planet by an exploration ship that landed on planet, and since then became a traveler of the stars, writing tourist guides for various systems and the holo-net.  
  
She was also known to be a treasure hunter.  
  
Which is why she's here, to get the Dagger. And he's here to protect her.  
  
"We must be quick." Organa-Solo said. "We are here on Genosis because it has the only New Republic owned C13-Transdata, an old computer used during the clone wars, and we need it to play this," she said, holding up a small disk.  
  
"A Quantium D-11 data disk, used for top secret information from the times of the Old Republic." She inserted the disk into the computer and started talking again as a hologram appeared.  
  
It was a long blade, and it had a purple jewel in the handle.  
  
"This is the Dagger of Sween. It is an ancient blade that houses a deadly viral strain that, should someone be cut by it, would spread across the galaxy like wildfire. The blade has a strange orb at the base of the handle that blocks-out energy, making the blade impervious to blaster fire. Because of this, the blade is indestructible and was placed inside a temple in the jungles of Malastare." Organ-Solo informed the two hunters.  
  
"Our intelligence indicates that the Lord of Lords is attempting to retrieve the Dagger, and, of course, we don't want that to happen.  
  
"Fett, Groph, I want you two to go to Malastare and get the Dagger first. Now be warned, there are many creatures that lie inside the temple, as it was designed to hide the Dagger from possible terrorists. Also, there are three droid sentries at the entrance of the temple, and they were made to kill all possible intruders."  
  
Boba Fett took this all in. It was good Organa-Solo was cutting to the chase. Fett didn't like to wait.  
  
"Groph, you are a renowned treasure hunter, so you must retrieve the Dagger. Fett, I want you to protect her and bring her back. Your salaries have already been discussed. Any questions?"  
  
No one said anything. Fett looked at Groph. Her eyes were sparkling. Fett cursed himself. His father had taught him love was a dangerous tool, one used by your enemies. Also, you can't trust anyone. Zam Wessel had taught him that.  
  
"Good." Leia Organa-Solo said. "I must be going, thus the reason why I had to make this briefing short. I suggest you two leave as well." And with that, Organa-Solo grabbed the disk and left.  
  
Fett turned to Groph, who stood up. She smiled at Fett and walked towards him.  
  
"We'll take my ship."  
An Imperial shuttle flew past the stars. It was obviously modified, now equipped with two concussion missile launchers on each side of the cockpit and a large proton torpedo launcher on the top wing.  
  
Inside, on the pilot's chair, was a former Imperial snowtrooper. He was once known as Callahan Gorn, but has become know to the galaxy at large as the Survivor.  
  
His forearm armor had been modified with wrist lasers, wires poking out from the back and going into his chest plate.  
  
His life support control on his back was also modified, with an Imperial stormtrooper rifle attached to it with a swiveling arm so it could turn and swing into his hands.  
  
Two long, black Imperial rifles sat behind him, as did a dark haired woman in a red vest. The woman sat silently and shut her eyes, meditating. The two unlikely companions continued in silence as they made their way to Malastare.  
Boba Fett and Lar-rah Groph sat in the cockpit of the Slave IV. Groph was tired of Fett's silence and decided to start a conversation.  
  
"So tell me about yourself." she said, looking at the side of Fett's helmet.  
  
Boba Fett didn't move.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause there's nothing else to do." She answered innocently.  
  
By the sound of her voice, Fett knew she was telling the truth. She was bored.  
  
":I don't talk much." he said, hoping to put an end to the conversation there. Not to mention, the last thing he wanted was to anger the woman he was supposed to protect.  
  
"Fine, I'll talk." She replied, looking away at the various controls of the ship. 'I heard you were on Endor getting a little improvement. What's it like being young again?" she asked.  
  
Fett decided to play along, as long as they were short answers. "Invigorating."  
  
"How old are you, for real?" she pondered.  
  
"None of your concern." he replied. It was the answer that Groph expected.  
  
The beautiful treasure hunter looked around the cockpit. "This ship is identical to the Slave IV, isn't it?" she guessed.  
  
"Correct." Fett said, still looking away from her.  
  
This wasn't getting her anywhere, Groph realized.  
  
She was said to be one of the most beautiful women in the galaxy, but no one knew she had eyes for the bounty hunter before her.  
  
It had started seven years ago, back on Coruscant. Boba Fett had been hired as a bodyguard for a politician during a press conference. Some senator opposed the politician and had hired an assassin to kill him. Her father, a businessman from Bespin, was there. When the assassin struck, Fett not only killed the fiend, but also rescued everyone there from a bomb the would-be killer had planted. He had no reason to stay, he had already been paid. But unlike most bounty hunters, Boba Fett seemed to care about the innocent.  
  
Fett was known for never killing an innocent. It was said the only time he ever killed a person who wasn't his target was when he faced Han Solo on some backwater planet. He killed a governor, though it was later revealed the governor was corrupt and had been involved with Fett's trap for Solo.  
  
Rumor also had it that Boba Fett donated one million credits to the Galactic Orphanage Committee. She believed it.  
  
So, after Fett's daring disarmament of the bomb, Groph followed his exploits. And, one thing few denizens realized was that Boba Fett never took a job that was morally wrong, unless he mitigated it immediately.  
  
Lar-rah Groph decided it was time to increase the importance of this conversation.  
  
"So, is there a Mrs. Fett anywhere?" she asked.  
  
"I have no interest in marrying." Fett said.  
  
"Oh." Groph cooed. "Maybe you just haven't found the right one." she said as she placed her fingertips on his right shoulder plate.  
  
Fett needed to stop this. Love was a dangerous weapon. He turned his helmeted gaze to the beautiful woman. "Are you implying you are that one?"  
  
She lost her train of thought at the sight of that T visor. After a moment, she realized she wasn't breathing.  
  
Groph regained her composure and looked at him, then smiled.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Fett grabbed her hand to take it off his shoulder, but he hesitated for a moment.  
  
He felt something. Something strange. There.  
  
It was gone.  
  
It was like he was physically hit, but there was no pain, only. emptiness. Boba Fett was actually confused for a moment, but then the feeling went away.  
  
He pushed her hand away. This game was over. "Do not touch me. I do not know why you are attempting a romantic relationship with me, nor do I care or interested." He said flatly.  
  
He starred at her. She stared back.  
  
After a moment, she turned away.  
  
"Sorry." She said. She didn't say she was sorry because she'd have to work harder.  
The Senate Security Council was in an uproar. Daran Co' Duff was extremely irritated.  
  
The Duros archive manager was in charge of the weapons archive, and the Council was demanding more information of the Dagger of Sween. Organa-Solo had ordered the release of the archive's information on the Dagger, which was held in the top secret storage room for super weapons.  
  
Co' Duff stuck a finger into a hole and the analyzing computer checked his DNA.  
  
"Welcome, Sir Co' Duff." A computer said, announcing that the doors were about to open.  
  
A moment later, a red flash appeared in front of him, and Co' Duff screamed before his head was lobbed off.  
"We are approaching Malastare." The ship's onboard computer said. The Survivor looked at the radar. A patrol ship was approaching.  
  
"Please transmit identification." A voice said over the com.  
  
The "White Ghost" looked over at Lyn, who was still meditating. Oh well, it was her loss to miss out on the fun.  
  
The Survivor simply shot the ship down with a proton torpedo. Then he entered the planet's atmosphere without procedure.  
The treasure hunter Lar-rah Groph and the bounty hunter Boba Fett walked silently and quickly through the jungle of Malastare without incident.  
  
They were nearly at the coordinates given to them by the New Republic's informants.  
  
Groph had put on her armor. It was a metallic green and covered her chest. Fett had been right about the clasps on her shirt. Groph carried two twin blaster pistols, the same kind of blasters that Solo used. DL-44s, if Fett remembered right, only her were modified to be lighter. There was no scope on either of the two, and the power packs were considerably smaller.  
  
Fett was carrying his custom Blastech EE-3 rifle. Luke Skywalker had cut his original apart, but Fett just "made" another one. He had stored the information on how he modified the first one.  
  
Fett held up a hand, signaling her to stop.  
  
"The droids." he said, answering her unasked question. Groph crept up behind Fett to have a look.  
  
There were three. One was a large red droid who stood over at what had to be the temple's entrance. It looked like nothing more than a cave.  
  
The red droid had no visible vocabulator or a replicated face, for that matter. It's head was nothing more than a spheroid globe with a single, thin yellow slit for a photoreceptor.  
  
The robots' chest resembled a muscular torso, and its arms looked like large metal spheres attached to each other, each one getting smaller and smaller until the droids hands, which had four short, stubby fingers.  
  
Another figure, a gray droid, stood farther away. It was tall and thin and reminded Fett of IG-88, only this one didn't have a cone for a head and had no hands, but instead had long gun barrels.  
  
The final droid was of a copper-like hue with a skeletal looking frame. It had two long blades for arms and the blades pulsated with electricity running through them.  
  
Fett held up a hand and stuck out three fingers.  
  
Groph held up her blasters and waited.  
  
Fett was down to one finger and he raised his right hand with his rifle.  
  
His last finger went down.  
"Lady Organa, I have grave news!" C-3PO yelled as he waddled into her estate chamber.  
  
The room was a stale pink, with lighter shades for furniture.  
  
"What is it 3PO?" she asked, instantly worried about her children.  
  
"Co' Duff is dead, and so is every guard on the 203rd floor of the Informational Archive Complex!"  
  
Leia's heart stopped. "What's missing?"  
Boba Fett took a hit from the big red droid in the gut. The blow dented his armor.  
  
"Fett!" Groph yelled, worried. But when Fett stood up, she returned to her battle with the gray droid.  
  
The bladed droid was behind the red one and started to run towards Fett. The bounty hunter shot up with his jetpack and over the two droids.  
  
In mid-air he extended his legs to hit the copper droid square in the back, sending it flying into the red droids back and impaling it. Energy surged through the red droid and it fell to the ground, stiff and unmoving.  
  
The copper droid removed its blades and lunged at Fett.  
  
Fett just sidestepped the automated assailant.  
  
Groph's attention was focused on the gray droid. The barrels shot out green goop that sizzled and burned when it missed her and hit the ground.  
  
Lar-rah ran around in circles and hoped the droid wasn't faster than her.  
  
The droid shot out continuous globs at her, each one a few inches behind her as it tried to follow her movements.  
  
Groph suddenly dropped down and the robots volley went over her. As it stopped and turned to correct its mistake and aim, Groph shot a blaster bolt into each of the droids arms.  
  
The droids arms exploded and it stumbled back. Unable to return fire, Groph just destroyed the droid with a barrage of blaster shots.  
  
Fett dodged a blow from the copper droid, only to be picked up and thrown by the big red droid.  
  
As Fett landed, he wondered how it was still active. Fett took out a thermal detonator and charged at the droid.  
  
Fett's shoulder collided with the big red droid and he shoved the detonator deep into its hole. Fett jumped back and flew up and away with his jetpack.  
  
Bellow him, the red droid exploded and red chunks of metal flew everywhere.  
  
The last droid looked at Groph, then at Fett as he landed and back at Groph. It turned to Fett and charged him again. Fett lifted his left arm and fired a rocket at the droid, but the bladed robot cut it neatly into two parts.  
  
Groph brought up her blasters and fired at the droid, but it easily deflected them with its electrified blades.  
  
Fett shot a small volley of knee darts at the droid, but it thrust its arms down and crossed them so the made an X.  
  
The darts hit the blades and ricocheted off and at Fett's helmet.  
  
The bounty hunter ducked and shot his wrist cable around the droids arms and legs, effectively hog-tying it.  
  
Fett removed a ion generator charge from his belt. He walked slowly to the droid and placed it on it. He took a few steps back and waited for the charge to activate.  
  
After a moment, energy surged through the droid and it deactivated. Fett returned to the droid and detached the charge and put it back into his pouch. He looked to the treasure hunter and said, "Let's go,"  
The Survivor looked at the destruction around him. The pieces of red metal were everywhere.  
  
"They must have been here." Lyn said behind him.  
  
Inside the Survivor's helmet, he rolled his eyes. There was a hog-tied droid and another, save arms.  
  
"Come on." the White Ghost said, and the two mercenaries walked into the cave.  
Slowly and cautiously, Boba Fett and Lar-rah Groph walked through the torch lit passages of the temple. The floor was a dark green, decorated by lighter grens of plants and weeds that somehow survived in the darkness.  
  
Boba Fett noticed the strange zigzag pattern on the ceiling. The ceiling was smooth and looked like rock.  
  
Fett looked back to the ground and kept his blaster ready. Groph's blasters moved around the passageways as if they had a mind of their own. There was a scratching sound behind them and the two turned in unison.  
  
A large nexu, even by a nexu's standards, stood behind them.  
  
It opened its mouth of jagged and interlocking fangs and hissed.  
  
Instantly, the two hunters ran. The nexu chased after them. The two rounded a corner.  
  
This was not good. It was dangerous to face such a creature in such a enclosed area, without being prepared.  
  
Fett noticed something on the floor. There was that same zigzag pattern on the floor that was on the ceiling.  
  
At the same time, Groph saw a flicker of light ahead on the floor. It was an upside down torch.  
  
"Jump!" the two yelled simultaneously. They vaulted over a gap and over a slanted mirror that gave the appearance of a floor.  
  
The hunters landed and Fett quickly turned and fired at the following nexu. The nexu jumped to the side and kept charging, not slowing a step and leapt across the gap. Fett shot it in mid-air and the creature fell short of its destination.  
  
Its claws dug deep into the edge as it held on fiercely for its life. Groph shot at the creature's paws and the creature fell to its death.  
  
After a moment, Groph looked at Fett. "You knew?"  
  
"As did you." he commented.  
  
Groph and Fett were both equally impressed with each other. Groph was used to these traps, but Fett wasn't; yet he had noticed it just as soon as she had.  
  
Just then, a white figure turned the corner behind them and stopped. Fett saw this in his HUD and turned around. Groph followed suit and looked at the figure. It was an Imperial snowtrooper, though he was a bit different.  
  
Boba Fett knew who this was and aimed his blaster rifle. "Leave, Gorn. I will not warn you again." Fett threatened.  
  
A beautiful woman with a robotic right arm appeared behind the Imperial.  
  
"Fett." she said.  
  
"Lyn." he replied.  
  
Groph raised her blasters.  
  
"No." Fett said before she fired. "Run. Find the Dagger." He commanded.  
  
Lar-rah's eyes peered at Fett from the corner.  
  
The bounty hunter was looking straight down through the scope. Groph followed his orders and ran.  
"Do you have the plans, Luam?" the voice asked through the comlink. It was the Lord of Lords.  
  
"Of course, my master. The Duros finally opened the chamber, just as you said he would." Luam H'trad answered.  
  
"So this plan is a success." The Lord of Lords said. "Good." the Lord of Lords said, then thought for a moment. "This whole diversion has worked out very well. Soon, not only will Boba Fett be dead, but also I will have the plans necessary to enact my scheme. We will have our rightful conquest."  
  
At that, Luam laughed.  
Fett shot a blast off with his rifle, but the Survivor dodged it.  
  
Lyn ran and jumped across the gap without hesitation.  
  
Fett ducked back as her metallic hand swung in front of his face.  
  
Boba Fett kicked out but the woman blocked it with her left arm. Fett shot his flamethrower at her but she rolled forward and away from Fett, standing up behind him.  
  
Across the gap, the Survivor shot his rifles at Fett who ducked. The bolts went over him and Arden Lyn had to block them with her metallic arm. "Careful, you idiot!"  
  
Fett flew over the gap and dropkicked the White Ghost in the chest. And turned, mid-air so he landed facing Lyn  
  
She fired a few bolts from her right arm laser. They missed, but the Survivor tackled Fett's knees from behind. The two fell forward and nearly into the gap.  
  
"Move!" the Survivor yelled. "Get the knife!"  
  
Fett moved and backhanded the snowtrooper.  
Lar-rah Groph turned a corner and stopped when she heard a rumbling. Three spikes shot out of the wall and into to other side of the passageway. She sighed and continued.  
  
There were strange cobwebs in the passageway. They were like small strands of hair. As she looked up to the ceiling, she accidentally stumbled. On the ground, she cleared her head and got to her knees. She dusted herself off and stood up, only to feel a small tap on the back of her head. She ignored it, but it was then followed up by a stronger tap.  
  
This time Lar-rah looked up and she couldn't believe her eyes; there was a dark gray-colored creature above her with long hair-like tentacles protruding from its back and had bright yellow eyes with a porcine snout with sharp, long jagged teeth. The creature opened its mouth and screamed.  
  
Lar-rah got her senses back and ran, but still listened to the 'Clacking' noise behind her as the creature followed her. She dared a look behind and saw nothing as she turned a corner. But then she remembered her earlier encounter and looked to the ceiling. A hair-like tentacle shot down and wrapped itself around her neck and squeezed. She shot at the limb and severed it, causing purple blood to spill to the floor.  
  
Lar-rah turned as another tentacle shot out and cut her across her cheek. She ran as fast as she could until she saw what was probably the most obvious trap she had ever seen; a protruding wall segment and a uplifted floor tile.  
  
As another tentacle wrapped around her throat, Lar-rah realized it wasn't a trap, but a solution. She stopped running and dove forward, and in response the creature jumped down to the floor and spiraled in mid-air so that it landed on its feet. It turned to look at Groph and jumped at her, tentacle still around her neck. She could barely breathe as she slammed a fist down onto the floor panel and the protruding wall segment slammed into the creature and squished it to death.  
  
More of the purple blood oozed out as Groph removed the tentacle from around her neck. Then all she could do was laugh.  
Boba Fett cursed himself as he realized he had turned a wrong turn. He was facing a dead end and he turned back to retrace his steps.  
  
He was so concerned with catching up with either Arden Lyn or Groph that he wasn't paying attention.  
  
He turned a corner and had top steel himself just before he ran into the White Ghost.  
  
Fett raised his blaster rifle and the Survivor pointed his index fingers back at him. This perplexed Fett. It wasn't normal behavior. Then he saw the blaster barrels on his adversary's forearms and realized what was about to happen.  
  
An ingenious weapon system, Fett mentally commented.  
  
He swung the base of his rifle's grip and it connected with the side of the Survivor's snowtrooper helmet, effectively knocking him over.  
  
Fett didn't have time for this, so he jumped over the prone body and ran back and took the way he should have taken. As he continued down the way he should have taken, he heard snarls from behind him. He turned and looked down at a small predatory creature.  
  
It was a small animal, with three legs and a body that was only a cylinder of flesh. The end of the body was a face, with beady yellow eyes and a small, fanged jaw. Fett aimed his rifle at the lone creature, but something stopped him from firing. Movement.  
  
Fett looked to the sides and noticed hundreds more of the creatures were pouring out of holes in the wall. There were too many of them to blast, so he swung out his flamethrower and roasted them all.  
  
A stray one jumped at him from behind and bit into the back of his helmet. He swatted it away and blasted it with a single well-placed shot.  
  
He turned to continue, but there was the shuffling of feet behind him. Fett turned to see the Survivor turn a corner and point at him. Laser bolts shot out of the barrels on his arms and Fett ducked behind a corner to avoid them.  
  
Fett looked back past the corner and didn't see any sign of the Survivor. He stepped out to pursue the mercenary and was actually surprised when the Survivor seemed to appear out of nowhere. A cloaking device.  
  
The Ghost pointed his fingers and Fett dove behind the wall, just in time.  
  
He hoped Groph was doing better than he was, but with Arden Lyn, who knew?  
  
He took out a small detonator and threw it at the wall so it ricocheted back at the Survivor. A small explosion sounded and Fett returned to his search for Groph.  
Arden Lyn stepped on the skull of a human who had obviously died inside the temple. How they had gotten past the droids was beyond her, and she didn't really care.  
  
Her red vest heaved up and down as she conducted her breathing techniques she had learned in Teras Kasi.  
  
She was getting closer to the woman; Groph. She could feel it. She walked over the flattened carcass of some strange creature. It was a fresh kill. The ground was still covered in fresh blood.  
  
500,000 credits for killing a treasure hunter. This was going to be sweet indeed.  
Fett had encountered more of the miniscule predators as he caught up with Groph's trail. Someone else had been past the bloody remains of some unknown creature before he had, and he hadn't seen the Survivor for quite a while.  
  
He hadn't seen him since he had thrown that detonator, though he didn't go back to look for a corpse. He didn't have time.  
  
Lar-rah Groph against Arden Lyn? The woman was resourceful, but Lyn was a killer with millennia of experience.  
Lar-rah Groph sighed as she turned a corner. There was a click from beside her and she dove forward as a flamethrower activated where she had just stood.  
  
She bent down and pushed up a lever underneath the nuzzle and deactivated the trap. She sighed again and turned. There, ahead of her, was a room full of what appeared to be mirrors. She walked forward towards the room, but stopped as she felt another. presence.  
  
A hard fist came crashing into the back of her skull. She tumbled forward and stopped for a moment before reacting as the haze left her eyes. She rolled around and faced her attacker as she realized the blows had knocked her blasters from her hands.  
  
It was the dark haired woman from before. She brought her arm down with a clenched fist and Groph had to summersault backwards to avoid the blow, which would have crushed her sternum.  
  
She rolled back onto her back and picked up a blaster pistol. She fired three well-aimed shots at the woman, but her attacker blocked them all with her robotic arm.  
  
Realization hit Groph. "You're Arden Lyn, that Imperial assassin, aren't you?" she said, almost respectively.  
  
"Does it matter?!?" she yelled and shot a laser from her arm. Groph rolled to the side to avoid it. As she rolled, she retrieved her other blaster.  
  
She stopped in a stand and fired continuously at Lyn. A small bubble of purple energy shot out of the assassin's body and stopped each shot.  
  
"Bantha spit!" Groph yelled and ran into the room of mirrors. She couldn't win this way, not when this woman could deflect her shots. She stopped and nearly fell as she saw a pedestal ahead of her. On the pedestal was the Dagger of Sween. Groph then looked around and in horror saw other Daggers in mirrors. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought.  
  
In one mirror, Arden Lyn appeared. Groph turned around and shot at the assassin, but Lyn flipped over the bolt easily and landed next to her. Arden Lyn backhanded Groph, who spun on her heels and landed with a grunt.  
  
She quickly aimed her blaster, but now there were many images of Lyn. Which one to shoot?  
  
As desperate as she was, it didn't matter. She shot three different ones, but each one shattered, revealing stone behind them.  
  
"Enough!" Lyn yelled from behind her and kicked Groph's blasters away.  
  
A cold, metallic hand grasped her neck form behind and Lar-rah was lifted up and off her feet.  
  
Her attacker didn't notice she had picked up a shard of the broken glass.  
  
"Pathetic grave robber." Lyn scolded and tossed he up into the air. As Lar- rah spun around, Lyn grabbed her from around the front of her neck so she could look into her eyes.  
  
Groph fought the urge to succumb to the chokehold as the metal hand squeezed harder around her throat. Lyn pulled back her left hand to punch the helpless woman.  
  
Groph's feet dangled above the ground, about a foot. She had one chance, and that was now.  
  
She jammed the shard of glass into the wires and chords of Lyn's robotic arm. As the arm imploded, smoke and chemicals going every which way, she dropped Groph to the ground.  
  
With a quick roundhouse kick, Lar-rah sent Lyn into one of the unbroken mirrors. The glass rained down and crashed onto the floor.  
Boba Fett heard glass crashing in the distance. He turned a corner and a flamethrower activated to his side. He used the tip of his boot to push a lever up and the flames quieted down.  
  
Fett walked into the room ahead of him and saw Groph walking around the room. The were mirrors standing alone in the room, making it like a funhouse Fett had to run through during a hunt once.  
  
Groph saw his reflection in a mirror. "Help me find the Dagger." She commanded. "I can't find it quickly with all these dag mirrors."  
  
Fett saw Lyn and decided to ask her about it later. "Fine." he said. "Stand beside me." he ordered. She walked to him and stood still as he had requested. Fett's helmets sensors changed to infa-red. There was a gathering of heat in one side of the room. "That way." he said, pointing to the other side of the room. His helmet returned to normal.  
  
Lar-rah picked up her blasters and followed him. The two exited into a decent sized chamber with the pedestal. There was a cave to the left, but the two hunters were focused on the Dagger. As they approached it, Fett's helmets sensors picked up a strange sound.  
  
Groph lifted up the Dagger from its resting place and held it high, examining it. She turned to look at Fett with a smile, but it quickly faded. "Behind you!" she warned.  
  
Fett leapt forward, not even looking back at what was behind him.  
  
A strong, powerful-clawed paw scrapped the back of his helmet.  
  
A ferocious roar echoed throughout the room and Fett got to his feet.  
  
There, standing almost as tall as the ceiling was the biggest wampa he had ever seen. Fett had seen a few mountain wampas when he was on Gall. This one was taller and definitely stronger. Its fur was a dark, dusty black and its fangs no longer fit into its mouth, giving it the appearance of a wicked, evil smile.  
  
Its claws were long and jagged. They looked almost like bolts of lightning.  
  
Lar-rah waited no longer and attacked the creature with her blasters. The wampa seemed impervious and charged at her, raising a clawed paw.  
  
Fett jumped and pushed Groph out of the way. The bounty Hunter grunted as his abdomen plate was punctured and blood seeped out of the wound.  
  
The act somehow infuriated the wampa and it talked towards the fallen hunter. Its powerful arms came crashing down and Fett rolled away just in time. He raised his left gauntlet and fired a poison dart, but it went through the creature's fur on its shoulder. Fett wasn't able to tell what was excess fur and what was flesh. The dart hit the wall and fell to the floor.  
  
The wampa swung its arms around violently and Groph had to duck in order to avoid being skewered. The wampa backhanded Groph across the room, then turned back to Fett, but the hunter wasn't there. The wampa scanned the room and saw Fett crawling to the wall.  
  
It lumbered over to him and swung a mighty paw down to the fallen bounty hunter. Fett rolled over and jammed his fist into the creature's palm. The creature roared and fell over, dead.  
  
Lar-rah caught her breath, confused. Fett calmly got up and walked to the wampa's body. Slowly, he plucked the poison dart out of its paw.  
  
Lar-rah smiled with admiration. "I heard they were smart.. Nice." She commented. Lar-rah could imagine Fett smiling underneath his helmet.  
  
"And you did well to defeat Arden Lyn. Let's go." He said, picking up the Dagger from its handle.  
  
As they left the Daggers chamber, a blaster bolt flew over their heads. "Not so fast, Fett." The Survivor yelled.  
  
Fett looked at the snowtrooper. "Let us leave and you will not have to fight us." Fett offered.  
  
"A fire fight is worth what I'm getting paid for that thing!" he yelled. His Imperial blaster rifle on the robotic appliance swiveled over and dropped the blaster into his right hand.  
  
"Is it worth being eaten alive?" Fett asked. He leaned over and shot a rocket from his jetpack through all of the independently standing mirrors, making a clear path through the mirrored room.  
  
"Nice shot, Fett." The Survivor mocked, not moving. "What, are you a cannibal?"  
  
Fett's arms wrapped around Groph and he held her tight. "I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about them." he said, motioning behind the White Ghost. As the Survivor looked behind him, Fett blasted off with Groph in his arms past the Survivor.  
  
Hundreds of the small creatures jumped onto him and he fell to the ground as the creatures began to bite.  
"I presume that you have the Dagger." Organa-Solo said over the vidlink on the Slave IV. "Where's Groph?" she asked.  
  
Fett looked over at the screen. "Down in the cargo hold. We will be at the rendezvous point in two standard hours.  
On the Hand of the Stars, an Ithorian herd ship, Chief of State Leia Organa- Solo waited underneath a tree with her entourage of guards.  
  
Slowly, Boba Fett and Lar-rah Groph walked into the forest clearing with a plain basket.  
  
Fett handed the basket to Organa-Solo. She opened it and inspected the contents. "Good. We will send this into a local black hole. Thank you for your help." She said, smiling at Fett and Groph. "Your accounts have been credited. Fett, I'll be in touch. We have another job for you." she said.  
  
Fett nodded and walked away. He would check his account when he was back on the Slave IV. Groph looked at Organa-Solo and smiled.  
  
"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have business to take care of." she said and followed Fett.  
Lar-rah Groph followed Boba Fett through the herd ships streets, ignoring the looks they got from the citizens.  
  
"Fett, wait." Groph said. Ahead of her, Boba Fett stopped walking and she caught up to him.  
  
Fett turned to look at her.  
  
"I have something to ask," she said. "Why did you give the New Republic the Dagger of Sween? Its too dangerous to be in their hands."  
  
Fett nodded and answered; "Organa-Solo is competent to keep her word. They will dispose of the Dagger, though it will be in pieces. I attached a sonic charge to the blade, along with a vaporization patch. In two hours, the blade will be destroyed by sonic sound waves and the virus will be wiped out with the vaporization. The dagger will no longer pose a threat to the universe, and we have been paid." He finished.  
  
Groph nodded, understanding. "Let me take you to a meal to celebrate.'  
  
"No." Fett said. He wasn't one for such pleasantries.  
  
"Well, I insist, plus its business." She said. "I received a message from my home planet, and there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."  
  
Fett nodded. "Fine. I will contact you in an hour." And with that, he left for the Slave IV.  
The Lord of Lords was a dangerous opponent. One who used lies and greed to spread his power. Fett sat in the pilot chair of his ship contemplating this.  
  
If he could acquire the skills of Arden Lyn and the Survivor, who else could he get?  
So, the plot thickens. Boba Fett and Lar-rah Groph? We'll have to find out later. But first, Fett must take care of a serial killer from Groph's home planet of Bespin. And, on top of that, the Lord of Lords has stolen the plans for some of the galaxy's most dangerous weapons! Here's a scene from the next episode;  
Easyedge swung down his scythed hand and tore off Fett's cape. The bounty hunter used his free left hand to backhand the killer.  
  
Easyedge fell backwards and nearly onto a large axe. The master swordsman pulled the axe from the ground and swung it at Fett. The bounty hunter ducked, but the edge of the blade connected with his helmet, leaving another dent.  
So, it's the debut of the serial killer Easyedge, who himself is on a mission to kill Fett, in a trap set by the Lord of Lords. This episode is going to be a mystery, so be ready! Not to mention, the story ends with a plot twist and will lead up to revelations and a confrontation you won't believe. Next time on Star Wars: Boba Fett; Hunter's Stalker! 


End file.
